Show restraint, Sonia tells Gujarat factions

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 4. The Congress(I) president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, today heard both the factions in the party's Gujarat unit in a bid to find a solution to the crisis. She is reported to have urged the two sides to desist from doing anything that would precipitate matters further.

The feud came to the fore with the suspension of Mr. Bharat Solanki, son of former AICC general secretary, Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki, and three of his colleagues from the party by the PCC chief, Mr. C.D. Patel.

Ms. Gandhi is keen to prevent the situation from snowballing into a major crisis, especially when organisational polls are underway, and is intent on finding a solution acceptable to both sides.

She got the general secretary incharge of the State, Mrs. Prabha Rau, to make it clear that the high command did not approve of the suspension of Mr. Bharat Solanki and the three others. ``As far as we are concerned they are not suspended because under the constitution, the PCC cannot suspend an AICC member,'' Mrs. Rau told presspersons today.

She is reported to asked Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki to ensure that his supporters call a halt to the attacks against the PCC chief and the AICC treasurer, Mr. Ahmad Patel. Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki, it is learnt, has also been advised to make amends by disassociating himself from the campaign launched by his supporters, and to make peace with Mr. Ahmad Patel.

The Congress(I) chief plans to follow this up with a joint meeting with Mr. Solanki and Mr. Ahmad Patel.

Mr. Ahmad Patel, who has been at the recieving end of the dissidents campaign, today offered to quit his post. Accused by the Solanki group of misguiding Ms. Gandhi and of being instrumental in denying Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki a Rajya Sabha ticket, he denied patronising any faction, and said he was willing to quit his post if the crisis had been precipitated by him. ``If this has happened because of me, I will request the Congress president to relieve me, I don't want to be a liability or a burden on the Congress president,'' he told The Hindu.

Apart from Mr. Ahmad Patel's response, if today's developments are any indication, bringing about a rapproachment will take time and effort. Mr. C.D. Patel's group today used the occasion to display its strength, and ensured the presence of 51 of the 57 party MLAs, 33 DPCC chiefs, including nine MPs. They pressed the high command to not only ratify the suspension order issued by the PCC but also to initiate action against Mr. Madhavsinh Solanki. ``If what we have done is technically wrong, the high command can rectify it by suspending them,'' said Mr. C.D.Patel.

The CLP leader, Mr. Amarsingh Chaudhary, and his supporters made it clear that the high command should listen to the majority of the State unit. The group today called on all the CWC members in the capital and on members of the disciplinary action committee to press their demands.

The Bharat Solanki group sought to maintain a low- profile. Speaking to presspersons after their meeting with the party chief, Mr. Bharat Solanki said the issue was an internal matter of the Congress(I) and ``would be settled within the family''. He also made it clear that the convention held by him on the 27th of last month was meant to mobilise opinion against the BJP and not against any Congress(I) member.

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